I love '87 Dead, so my rating is kind of biased. I also like the Spectrum; caught the Dead there six times. Home base for me is Nassau/MSG. Listen to "Wharf Rat". That's got to be the most emphatic "..for some MotherFucker's crime" I've ever heard. Real good show.

Wow.....nice show! Don't think I had heard this one before. I was excited to hear it just from the set list alone...all personal favorites from top to bottom. The playing is top notch. There are a lot of great shows from this era...'87 through '90. A peak for the band.

Garcia says in a Rolling Stone interview (The New Dawn of the Grateful Dead, June 16 1987): 'It's more fun now than it's ever been; the band is just tearing up.'

I reckon Brent's playing better than ever too. Here, at last, he stretches out the solos. Garcia even cuts him off in Iko Iko.

Having bought the more than disappointing New Year's Eve 1987 disc, my faith in 1987 is restored. Now looking forward to hearing the rest of the Spring tour...

'It's like we have a new beginning,' Garcia said on June 16.

Im just about to listen.....cant wait! I was there but dont recall all the minutia!

despite the fairly usual 2nd set list. This 2nd set is the one you want, though, with Garcia wailing like a god and the entire band in perfect sync. The first set is OK but doesn't really catch fire until Loser.

Killer, killer, killer... Didn't see my first show until JFK '89, but I heard this at a buddies years ago on cassette and I definitely remember hearing about these spring shows that year! LOVE this whole show :)

Spectrum Dead. Certainly, top of the spectrum. My jaw has been on the floor since the first notes of Shakedown. WOW! Clean, tight, vocals AWESOME. ENERGY is undeniable and captured beatifully. The WHOLE BAND is "SHREDDING" throughout the show with extraordinary highlights manifesting frequently. I can't believe I haven't come across this before. Worthy of 5 stars for ANY year. Enjoy.

i have DAP but downloads are not working when i try and drag file to media player...help anyone!?

cdtecra@aol.com

I'm sorry for asking this here, but HOW does one download the shows here? I listen on Internet Archive all the time, but haven't yet begun to collect.

Un-freakin believable. Anyone who dismisses the 80's have no idea what they are missing. I saw everything this year and though the He's Gone does stand out, I remember being completely stunned after the St. of Circumstance. I still absolutely LOVE that jam on this night!!! Download it!!!

nice box placement! all around real groovin flow and feel.

I posted a virtually identical review on a more frequently downloaded audience recording of this night, but I think Joe D'Amico's recording is the best of what is a top-flight show of '87. In fact, I think there are barely a small handful of shows from the rest of the year that stack up to these spring shows, which seem to be, night after night, consistently strong. In other words, most of the best of '87 is in this tour, I believe, and this is a great example of a great night of that spring tour.

This is a hidden gem of a tour. What energy and joy here in this renewed band! I'm working my way through these spring '87 shows. I thought Hartford took the cake, but these Philly shows are fine too. This may be the best of the Spectrum shows. Great "Shakedown" but listen to that "He's Gone." Wow is that good. I'm not one to make "best" claims, but if you want a taste of how good this show is, listen to "He's Gone." There's a Nobody's Fault-like jam in there, and just excellent bluesy playing and energy. The "Saint" just explodes and post-space jam does not disappoint. "Truckin" is joyous and in your face and "The Other One" pulses and surges and actually stretches into some fine jamming and is an excellent 80s rendition -- See'87 does stretch out. In fact, the "He's Gone" through "Wharf Rat" is a classic sequence right out of the 73-74 era.

Five stars in the context of the late 80s -- tops most of what follows in 1988-90. These shows keep corroborating my theory that Spring '87 is one of the pinnacles(albeit a short lived one)of the 80s Grateful Dead.

Holy shit, this sound is WAY BETTER than the other one with all those downloads/reviews...and you can actually download this one!!!

that being said...shakedown is always a spectacular way to begin a show and yes it is the jam. other people talk about the He's Gone on this night as being stellar and i agree it is ver good compared to other ones; however...the TRUCKIN'> OTHER ONE IS CAPITALIZED HERE FOR A REASON!!!!! 5 stars for PHIL here playin' like hes in 1973! Fuck yes....and i love The Grateful Dead! Peace

As another reviewer states, if it's a Joe D'Amico, just download it. This show gets 5 stars for the He's Gone alone. One of the best i've seen or heard. The rest of the show is no slouch. The Other One is firey.